Charlyn's Nature Art quilt....

Note: All of my blog posts this week were written in advance.  I'm currently at a quilt retreat at the beach working on charity quilts.

I was waiting until I finished my own Nature Art quilt before showing you the one I received in return.  I'm in a group called The Twelve of Us made up of ladies from all over the country.  Every 6 weeks we have a new project to complete and mail to one of the other 11 ladies.  And in return a different lady will mail you hers.  So far we've completed a purse/tote bag with yoyo's and a sketchbook cover.  I've shared both the ones I've made and the ones I've received with you.

Generally I like to share them back to back so you get a better idea of the originality of the projects, but as you know, I'm late finishing my Nature quilt, but Charlyn (who has my name) was actually early sending hers.  She went in a completely different direction than I did but I think she did a fantastic job.  (I had it stuck in my head that it had to be a crazy quilt, but really it didn't.)  So here's what she sent me...

My Nature Art Quilt from Charlyn

You really have to hold this in your hands to appreciate the dimensionality in it.  It looks flat in the pictures I took, but it's anything but.  I love the two eagles she stitched by the tree.  There are teeny tiny pieces of fabric in them and tons of stitching.  Funny thing, when I complimented her on the eagles she fell out because she meant for them to be turkeys!  I suppose you could say they are, but I like eagles better and that's what I'm sticking with.  Check out their bodies...

Eagles by the tree

And you should see the tree.  It's made up of a lot of different strips of fabric twisted and tacked down.  It has the look and feel of a really old tree with lots of knots and roots.

Tree trunk

To make the landscape she used several pieces of green fabric and layered them on top of each other to get a sense of distance.  She sewed each one down and then came back with scissors and made hundreds of vertical cuts in them so they look like grass and are raised off the surface.

Grass in the background

She also added a bunch of tiny flowers from a floral bouquet (I'm assuming) to the base of the tree.  I tried several times to get a good picture of them, but they still don't show up that well.

Flowers at the base of the tree

And here's a picture of all the leaves and foliage she put into the tree branches.  There's lots of tactile things here.

Leaves and flowers in the tree branches

And not only did she send my art quilt, she also included a number of other things in my package.  She wrapped every bit of it in fabric which I've already washed and pressed, ready to use.  Along with the fabric was a book on green giving.  I though it was very appropriate given the theme and her wrapping.

Book and fabric

And finally she included this charming candle holder.  It's a bird and its wings are inset with some kind of iridescent stone.  Again, the pictures don't quite capture it.

Bird candle holder

Thank you so much Charlyn for my quilt and everything else!  I'm looking for the perfect stick in the yard to use as hanger for it.  I haven't found one yet, but when I do, I'm going to hang it in my sewing room.

 Until later...

God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. 

Philippians 4:19 (NIV)